Euro 2020 Group C
GROUP C
Netherlands Ukraine Austria North Macedonia
|
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
Netherlands
It has been seven long years since The Netherlands have qualified for a major finals, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Runners-up at the previous 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Oranje will hope to reach such heights again at Euro 2020. Juve's Matthijs de Ligt and Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong (former team mates at Ajax) will lead a promising group into this year's return to the big time.
 |
 |
|
Netherlands Kit 1 |
Netherlands Kit 2 |
Netherlands v Ukraine, 13th June, Amsterdam
Netherlands v Austria, 17th June, Amsterdam
Netherlands v North Macedonia, 21st June, Amsterdam
Coach
Frank de Boer
Record
1980, 2012 First Round, 1996, 2008 Quarter-final, 1992, 2000, 2004 Semi-final, 1976 3rd Place, 1988 Winners
Men to watch
Mathias de Ligt is only 21 but already one of the world's best centre backs. With Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk out with injury, he will carry a lot of responsibility on his young shoulders. Big things are also expected of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong in his first major tournament. While Memphis Depay is the main goal threat, if given the chance, yet another Ajax alumnus, teenage midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, could announce himself in a big way.
The Dutch have no excuses for not advancing with three games in Amsterdam against modest opposition but on current form it is not clear they can go beyond the last eight.
How they qualified
The Netherlands came second in group C behind Germany, dropping points by drawing away in Northern Ireland and losing at home to the group winners.
On the sidelines
Defensive rock Virgil Van Dijk has missed the whole season through injury. Steven Bergwijn was the highest-profile omission, a result of little playing time with Tottenham. Others who have donned the orange shirts recently who were also discarded include Aston Villa's Anwar El Ghazi, Roma's Justin Kluivert and Atalanta's Hans Hateboer.
Formation
4-3-3
Analysis
Oranje missed the boat for the last Euros and World Cup but showed they are back in business by reaching the 2019 Nations League final beating England, France and Germany along the way.
The restart since Covid has been a mixed bag however. In De Boer's dozen games since taking over from Barcelona-bound Ronald Koeman last autumn, Oranje has won five, drawn four and lost three.
A 2-2 home draw with Scotland on the eve of the Euros left a lot to be desired, but Depay's eye for goal and set piece prowess hauled them back twice to save their blushes, hinting they may depend on the Lyon raider's quick feet in June.
De Boer's Ajax blood runs through the team from their 4-3-3 formation to possession-based game. Half the squad of 26 have been on the books of the Amsterdam club at some point.
The side is quite attack minded from right back Denzel Dumfries through De Jong and Giorginio Wijnaldum in midfield but defence is their weakness, as Turkey proved in March sticking four goals past them in a 2022 World Cup qualifier.
In the knockout stages the Dutch may thrive but one suspects the squad is a bit too inexperienced to lift silverware for now. Youth is of course the Ajax creed but the Netherlands' only trophy, the memorable 1988 Euros, was captured with a more battle-hardened eleven.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Jasper Cillessen (Valencia), Tim Krul (Norwich).
Defenders: Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Patrick Van Aanholt (Crystal Palace), Joël Veltman (Brighton), Jurrien Timber (Ajax), Stefan de Vrij (Inter), Owen Wijndal (AZ Alkmaar), Daley Blind (Ajax), Denzel Dumfries (PSV), Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus).
Midfielders: Teun Koopmeiners (AZ Alkmaar), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool), Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax), Davy Klaassen (Ajax), Donny Van de Beek (Manchester United; withdrew from the squad due to injury), Frenkie De Jong (Barcelona).
Strikers: Steven Berghuis (Feyenoord), Cody Gakpo (PSV), Memphis Depay (Lyon), Donyell Malen (PSV), Luuk de Jong (Sevilla), Quincy Promes (Spartak Moscow), Wout Weghorst (Wolfsburg).
Ukraine
Ukraine legend Andriy Shevchenko leads the Zbirna into the finals on the back of an impressive qualifying campaign. West Ham's Andriy Yarmolenko will lead the team's hopes supported by key performers Gent's Roman Yaremchuk and Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko. For a prolific striker, Ukraine's all-time leading goal-scorer Shevchenko deserves credit for his work on the defence.
 |
 |
|
Ukraine Kit 1 |
Ukraine Kit 2 |
Ukraine v Netherlands, 13th June, Amsterdam
Ukraine v North Macedonia, 17th June, Bucharest
Ukraine v Austria, 21st June, Bucharest
Coach
Andriy Shevchenko
Record
2012, 2016 First Round. Ukraine previously competed as part of the multinational Soviet Union.
Men to watch
Oleksandr Zinchenko was an ever-present in a Manchester City side that could have won a Quadruple except for the coaching masterclasses by Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.
Ruslan Malinovskyi's winner against Juve back in April demonstrated the marvellous left-foot rocket that he has in his arsenal. A potential breakout star of this tournament.
To say it is difficult to predict second-place would be an understatement. If there is anything to separate Ukraine and Austria, then perhaps it is that Ukraine has a few more players at the top of their game, and they are slight favourites to finish above Burschen.
How they qualified
Ukraine were the surprise winners of Group B, overcoming Portugal in both the standings and in Kyiv. A 0-0 draw in Lisbon signifies that Shevchenko is building a team based on its watertight defence.
On the sidelines
Andriy Shevchenko won't be the only AC Milan legend sitting in the dugout. Mauro Tasotti and three other Italians are part of Ukraine's coaching staff.
Formation
3-4-1-2
Analysis
With Zenit's Yaroslav Rakitskyi controversial retirement, came a black hole at the heart of Ukraine's defence. As far as qualification was concerned, Shakhtar's pairing of Mykola Matviyenko and Serhiy Kryvtsov translated into a successful campaign.
Results in other competitions, however, have been less than jolly. In the Nations League, Ukraine conceded a hatful of goals and the 7-1 hammering at the hands of France back in late 2020 cannot go unnoticed despite it being a friendly.
Looking on the bright side, both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ruslan Malinovskyi have had tremendous seasons and some of the star quality in midfield is something to watch out for.
Taras Stepanenko is an experienced figure who will bring solidity and Marlos has delighted fans across Ukraine for years with his silky touch and unpredictable dribbling.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Heorhiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), Anatoliy Trubin (Shakhtar Donetsk).
Defenders: Mykola Matviyenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Karavayev (Dynamo Kyiv), Serhiy Kryvtsov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Denys Popov (Dynamo Kyiv), Eduard Sobol (Club Brugge), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Illya Zabarnyi (Dynamo Kyiv), Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv).
Midfielders: Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham United), Taras Stepanenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Heorhiy Sudakov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Atalanta), Serhiy Sydorchuk (Dynamo Kyiv), Viktor Tsyhankov (Dynamo Kyiv), Marlos (Shakhtar Donetsk), Roman Bezus (Gent), Yevhenii Makarenko (Kortrijk), Mykola Shaparenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Oleksandr Zubkov (Ferencváros).
Strikers: Roman Yaremchuk (Gent), Artem Besyedin (Dynamo Kyiv), Artem Dovbyk (Dnipro-1).
Austria
Austria co-hosted Euro 2008 with Switzerland but will be hoping to escape the group stage for the first time in their history at the third time of asking. Defeats to Iceland and Hungary plus a 0-0 draw with Portugal ended their 2016 tournament early last time out. Former West Ham maverick Marko Arnautovic will hope to provide the inspiration up front while David Alaba remains a rock at the back.
 |
 |  |
|
Austria Kit 1 |
Austria Kit 2 |
Austria Kit 3 |
Austria v North Macedonia, 13th June, Bucharest
Austria v Netherlands, 17th June, Amsterdam
Austria v Ukraine, 21st June, Bucharest
Coach
Franco Foda
Record
2008, 2016 First Round
Men to watch
David Alaba earned a free transfer to Real Madrid and is possibly at the peak of his powers. His consistency and versatility made him a fan-favourite at Bayern for more than a decade.
Opposing defenders will be fearful of Marcel Sabitzer's tenacity and his clever movement in front of goal.
All will depend on their final game against Ukraine to determine second place, assuming Austria will beat minnows North Macedonia in Bucharest, of course.
How they qualified
Austria ended their Group G campaign behind Poland but qualified automatically.
On the sidelines
Centre-back Aleksandar Dragović once had to apologize to Swiss politician Ueli Maurer for slapping him in the head multiple times after the Swiss Cup Final back in 2012. Dragović had just won the trophy with FC Basel.
Formation
4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1
Analysis
These are the third European Championships for the Austrians, and neither of the last two editions was particularly memorable. To change the fortunes this time, Bundesliga stars David Alaba and Marcel Sabitzer will have to be at their best.
The player between the sticks will most likely be LASK's Alexander Schlager, though the 4-0 defeat to Denmark on April 1st indicates that his place in the starting line-up is not secure by any means.
The centre-back pair of Aleksandar Dragović and Martin Hinteregger will do the trick for this tournament, but the replacement for Dragović, who recently joined his boyhood club Red Star Belgrade, needs to be found sooner rather than later.
A player who could make a name for himself is RB Leipzig's Konrad Laimer, as his passing and intelligence will surely shine through this Austrian side.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Pavao Pervan (Wolfsburg), Alexander Schlager (LASK), Daniel Bachmann (Watford).
Defenders: Aleksandar Dragović (Red Star Belgrade), Marco Friedl (Werder Bremen), David Alaba (Real Madrid), Martin Hinteregger (Eintracht Frankfurt), Stefan Lainer (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Andreas Ulmer (Red Bull Salzburg), Christopher Trimmel (Union Berlin), Stefan Posch (Hoffenheim), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg).
Midfielders: Stefan Ilsanker (Eintracht Frankfurt), Julian Baumgartlinger (Bayer Leverkusen), Valentino Lazaro (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Alessandro Schöpf (Schalke 04), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Konrad Laimer (RB Leipzig), Xaver Schlager (Wolfsburg), Louis Schaub (Luzern), Christoph Baumgartner (Hoffenheim).
Strikers: Marko Arnautović (Shanghai Port), Marcel Sabitzer (RB Leipzig), Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg), Karim Onisiwo (Mainz 05), Saša Kalajdžić (VFB Stuttgart).
North Macedonia
North Macedonia reached their first-ever major competition finals with local hero Goran Pandev scoring the winner in the play-off with Georgia. Is that where the fairy tale ends for the Red Lions?
 |
 |
|
North Macedonia Kit 1 |
North Macedonia Kit 2 |
North Macedonia v Austria, 13th June, Bucharest
North Macedonia v Ukraine, 17th June, Bucharest
North Macedonia v Netherlands, 21st June, Amsterdam
Coach
Igor Angelovski
Record
Participating for the first time.
Men to watch
A trio of attacking midfielders hold the keys to success: Skipper Goran Pandev is a national hero for scoring the goal which took his country to their first ever finals. The 37 year-old won the Champions League with Jose Mourinho's Inter in 2010 and is looked up to by his players.
Rising star Elif Elmas, Napoli's 21 year-old right-sided midfielder and Levante's Enis Bardhi on the other side complete the triangle. Leeds United's flying full back Ezgjan Alioski offers pace on the counter.
Buoyed by their shock win in Germany in March the North Macedonians will give it their all in June but will probably be knocked out by a big gun. The first-timers will be everyone's favourite underdog however.
How they qualified
North Macedonia finished third in group G but qualified via the Nations League playoffs, defeating Kosovo and Georgia.
On the sidelines
The team's regular centre forward Ilja Nestorovski misses out through injury.
Formation
4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2
Analysis
A FIFA nation since 1994, North Macedonia will be relishing their first ever finals qualification but they will have to be firing on all cylinders to get out of their group.
Angelovski worked wonders to get them into the tournament but has no experience working in football outside the former Yugoslav republic of two million people.
Much depends on a small cadre of performers in a squad lacking depth and Champions League experience, Pandev apart.
The loss of Nestorovski's aerial threat is a blow, but Vlatko Stojanovski is a like-for-like replacement. With Pandev floating behind, Bardhi and Elmas' creativity is key to create goals, but one suspects the counter attack offers their best chance of striking.
Their first opponents Austria beat them twice in qualifying and put four past them in Skopje in 2019, which does not bode well.
While Ukraine look beatable, it is hard to see the Netherlands folding in Amsterdam. That said, after Angelovski changed the formation to 3-5-2 the Risovi (lynxes) stunned Europe by beating Germany 2-1 in Duisburg at the end of March in World Cup qualifying.
North Macedonia had barely a third of possession that night so expect a similar caution and counter approach against the Dutch.
Third place could be enough to make the knockout stages but waiting in the second round however are some very big fish and it is hard to see the lynxes catching any of them.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Stole Dimitrievski (Rayo Vallecano), Damjan Shishkovski (Doxa), Risto Jankov (Rabotnicki).
Defenders: Stefan Ristovski (Dinamo Zagreb), Kire Ristevski (AEL), Ezgjan Alioski (Leeds United), Visar Musliu (Fehérvár), Darko Velkovski (Rijeka), Egzon Bejtulai (Shkëndija), Gjoko Zajkov (Charleroi).
Midfielders: Ferhan Hasani (Partisani), Stefan Spirovski (AEK), Enis Bardhi (Levante), Boban Nikolov (Lecce), Elif Elmas (Napoli), Arijan Ademi (Dinamo Zagreb), Marjan Radeski (Akademija Pandev), Tihomir Kostadinov (Ružomberok), Daniel Azramokski (Kayserispor), Darko Churlinov (VfB Stuttgart).
Strikers: Goran Pandev (Genoa), Aleksandar Trajkovski (Mallorca), Ivan Trichkovski (AEK), Krste Velkoski (Sarajevo), Vlatko Stojanovski (Chambly), Milan Ristovski (Spartak Trnava).
Compiled by Sean O'Conor & Joji Imamiya
Buy tickets for soccer matches around the world